Firefighting apparatus



Dec. 14, 1965 J. M. Moss FIREFIGHTING APPARATUS Filed Sept 25. 1964United States Patent C) Filed Sept. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 399,260 Claims.(Cl. 169-1) This invention relates to a new and improved firefightingapparatus and, in particular, to a portable utility shield adapted to becarried on the body of a fireman for directing a firefighting medium,such as water spray or chemical foam, onto a concentrated fire targetarea, while at the same time providing a protective shield of Water fogor chemical foam about his body.

An important objective of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved portable firefighting apparatus which forms a protective shieldor mantle of cool, moist air about the body of the fireman while in themidst of a fire and which also allows complete freedom of both of thefiremans arms for handling debris and for rescuing entrapped persons.

Another important objective of the present invention is to provide a newand improved means for portably harnessing a source ofhighly-pressurized fluid firefighting medium to a fireman in a mannerwhereby the emergent fluid stream can be directed and maintained on afire target area in front of the fireman by the movements of the bodyalone and without use of the arms.

An important and distinctive feature of the portable shield apparatus ofthe present invention is that, unlike conventional apparatus in theprior art, no substantial portion of the fluid firefighting mediumflowing in the dclivery line is diverted away from the fire target areain order to form a protective shield of water fog or chemical foam aboutthe body of the fireman.

Another distinctive feature of the present invention is that thedelivery line, which connects the portable shield carried on the body ofthe fireman to the source of the pressurized firefighting medium, alsoserves as a lifeline for enabling the fireman in an emergency to retreathastily to safety from the fire area.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of thepresent invention will be more readily understood upon consideration ofthe following detailed description of the invention, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sketch of a fireman utilizing the portableshield apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of theshield apparatus of the present invention which may be advantageouslyused in fighting automobile fires.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a modified em bodiment of theshield apparatus of the present invention which is especially useful infighting building fires.

Referring now to the drawings, and FIGS. 1-3 in particular, there isshown an illustrative embodiment of a portable shield apparatus inaccordance with the present invention. The shield, indicated generallyas 10, is secured to the body of the fireman and is connected through aconduit or hose 21 to a source of pressurized firefighting fluid, suchas water or chemical foam, delivered from a pump of a fire truck 22.

The portion of the shield assembly through which the firefighting fluidflows is comprised of a coupling pipe 19 for connection to the deliveryline 21, a set of pipes 18 formed into the shape of an upright Usection, and a rectangular arrangement of horizontally extending pipes11-14 connected to the U-shaped pipes and projecting respectively fromeach corner of the rectangle. A standard fog nozzle 20 is fitted at theend of each of the four forwardly projecting pipes 11-14, thearrangement of the nozzles being such as to produce a protective shieldof fluid spray in front of the fireman as the firefighting medium isdirected forwardly onto the fire target area. The shield assembly ispreferably equipped with a valve 23 in the coupling line 19 so that theflow of pressurized fluid through the nozzles 20 at the front of theshield can be closed off and regulated to some extent by the wearer.

As may be seen from the figures, the upper pair of pipes 11 and 12 inthe rectangular arrangement pass over the shoulders of the wearer, whilethe lower pair 13 and 14 pass under the arms at about waist level. Forsecuring the shield assembly fixedly to the body of the fireman asuitable torso harness, comprising a horizontal strap 30 attached acrossthe back between the pipes 11 and 12, a pair of vertical shoulder straps31, 32 connected at the back to a horizontal brace 29 between pipes 15and 16 and at the front to a chest belt 33, and a waist belt 34, isprovided.

As may be best seen from the diagrammatic representation of FIG. 1, thepressurized fluid emergent from the rectangular array of fog nozzles 20at the termination of the respective pipes 11-14 produces a protectivescreen of cool moist air in front of the fireman as he walks into thefire, thereby substantially reducing the possibility of smoke or heatasphyxiation and enabling him to advance into the center of theconflagration at a rapid pace. Because of the very high pressurizationswhich can be satisfactorily and advantageously used with the shieldapparatus of the present invention (as high as 750 pounds per squareinch), the force of the emergent fluid from the nozzles 20 issufiiciently great to produce a protective screen of substantialdimension in all three planes and thus ensuring the fireman a continuoussupply of air for breathing.

As the shield assembly 10 is firmly and rigidly secured to the body bymeans of the torso harness, the protective screen of fog will always bedirected in front of the fire: man as he advances and turns into theflames. The construction of the shield and its means of attachment tothe body are such that both arms of the wearer are allowed completefreedom of movement, and are thus available for use in handling debrisand for removing persons who may be trapped in the flames.

Another advantageous feature of the present invention is that thedelivery line 21, which connects the shield apparatus 10 to the source22 of pressurized firefighting fluid, serves also as a highly dependablelifeline for the fireman. In conventional situations a lifeline istypically provided by tying a rope of hemp or other fiber constructiononto the fireman advancing into the flames. However, there is always thepossibility present that a rope of such material might be burnt throughby the intense heat and flames of the fire, thus leaving the firemanwithout a means for tracing his way back to safety through blindingsmoke and flames. In the present case this possibility is substantiallyminimized as the fiow of fluid through the delivery line greatlyincreases the resistance of the lifeline to flame and heat. However, inthe off-chance that the heat of the flames is so intense that thedelivery line 21 begins to burn through, the pressure in the nozzles 20of the shield 10 will drop ofi markedly as the fluid spurts through theopening in the lifeline, and thus the fireman will be immediatelyapprised of the situation and he will have suflicient time to retreat tosafety before the escape line burns through and separates.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-3 may be advantageouslyused in fighting fires in automobiles and in other small confined areassince the portable shield 10 is of compact design and the structure ofthe apparatus does not substantially project beyond the body contour ofthe fireman. However, in combating fires in building structures androoms, the modified shield apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is preferred foruse. In the modification 10' the basic shield design shown in thepreceding figures is changed to incorporate an additional pair ofupwardly-angled pipes 11' and 12 which are coupled respectively to theupper pair of pipes 11 and 12. These additional pipes 11' and 12' areterminated, similar to pipes 11-14, with fog nozzles for directing aportion of the fluid stream upwardly against the ceiling surface as thefireman advances into the structure.

The terms and expressions which have been employed here are used asterms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention,in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents ofthe features shown and described, or portions thereof, it beingrecognized that various modifications are possible within the scope ofthe invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A firefighting apparatus adapted to be carried on the body of afireman comprising in combination,

(a) a harness assembly for fixedly securing said apparatus to the uppertorso of a fireman,

(b) conduit means including, a connecter for coupling to a line sourceof pressurized firefighting fluid, an upright section, and a pluralityof pipes connected to spaced points on said upright section, at leastone of said pipes extending horizontally above shoulder level andanother extending horizontally at about waist level when said apparatusis attached to the body, and

(c) a plurality of fog-forming nozzles each connected to a terminationof said plurality of pipes in an arrangement whereby the fluid emergentfrom said nozzles is directed in a generally forward direction onto afire target and also forms a protective fog-screen of cool moist air infront of said fireman.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 further including means 'onsaid apparatus for regulating the flow of said fluid in said conduitmeans.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality ofpipes further includes at least one upwardlyan gled andforwardly-directed pipe terminated in a fogforming nozzle for directinga stream of said firefighting fluid against a ceiling surface.

4. A firefighting apparatus comprising in combination,

(a) conduit means including, an upright U-shaped section, a connector atthe base of said U-shaped section for coupling to a line source ofpressurized firefighting fluid, and an arrangement of fourhorizontallyextending pipes connected to said U-shaped section at pointsgenerally corresponding to respective corners of a vertically-disposedrectangle,

(b) a plurality of fog-forming nozzles each connected to a terminationof one of said horizontally-extending pipes,

(c) means for controlling the flow of said fluid in said conduit means,and

(d) a harness assembly for fixedly securing said conduit means to theupper torso of a fireman in a manner whereby said U-shaped section liesvertically along the back, the upper pair of said rectangulararrangement of pipes pass over the respective shoulders, and the lowerpair of pipes pass underneath the respective shoulders at about waistlevel.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said conduit meansfurther includes at least one upwardlyangled and forwardly-directed pipeextending above shoulder level and terminated in a fog-forming nozzle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,853,460 4/ 1932Rzeminiecki. 2,632,163 3/1953 Spandau 1691 X 2,803,826 8/1957 Johnston2-81 2,813,753 11/1957 Roberts.

FOREIGN PATENTS 33,243 3/ 1928 France.

References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,632,163 3/1953 Spandau. 2,761,515 9/1956 Feild et a1. 2,818,927 l/ 1958 Broussard.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

